Inheritance laws typically consider family members within six generations to be potential heirs. This includes spouses, children, parents, grandparents, siblings, nieces, nephews, and other relatives within that timeframe. In some legal systems, such as in Kenya’s Law of Succession Act, the hierarchy of beneficiaries starts with the spouse and children, followed by parents, siblings, and then other relatives, potentially extending to sixth-generation relatives.Â
In Nyathuna, inheritance within a family extends to relatives within the sixth degree of consanguinity, as outlined in the Law of Succession (Amendment) Act 2021. This means that if a person dies without a will (intestate), their property will be distributed among their surviving relatives, up to and including those who are six degrees of kinship away from them.Â